Local

Parents worried about mold and raw sewage at school

ATLANTA — Parents at Booker T. Washington High School in southwest Atlanta told Channel 2 Action News they were worried about mold and raw sewage issues at the school and sent pictures documenting the problem.

The pictures showed mold coating the band uniforms and what appeared to be raw sewage seeping from the floor.

"It was muddy, it was red and the stench was horrific," said Valerie Williams, a graduate of the school.

She told Channel 2's Amy Napier Viteri parents have been worried about the issues for months while students attended summer school and band practice.

"This is an environmental safety hazard. It's a hazard," Williams said.

Valerie Sims has a 16-year-old son at the school that plays in the band.

"My concern as a mom is I have an asthmatic child and I'm sure it's other respiratory problems some of the kids have," Sims said.

Sims told Viteri as recently as the week school started she saw issues in the building.

"It was mold covering some of the walls some of the pictures, and the instruments and on the uniforms," Sims said.

Atlanta Schools Associate Superintendent Steve Smith told Viteri the mold has been a huge problem this year due to heavy rains. But the school has addressed the issue.

"The school is safe and under no conditions would we allow our students to attend if it was not the case," Smith explained.

He pointed to an email from a company hired to clean the mold saying the areas should be safe to be reoccupied by staff and students. Sims wasn't so sure.

"Mold has to be combated to the core", she said.

Smith said the district also addressed the sewage but will need to find a permanent fix since it could become a recurring problem with more rain.